The secret ingredient that made Ready 2 Rumble Boxing so popular with both avid gamers and budding gaming enthusiasts was the likeable yet outlandish assortment of characters. In Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 2, the formula is repeated by adding as many as a dozen new characters, with Shaquille O'Neal, Freke Deke, Robox RE SE4, Johnny Blood, Mama Tua and even reclusive pop star Michael Jackson leading the wacky pack of fictional and semifictional boxers.A few of your favourite characters from the first game return in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, which features updated, customisable costumes. Each character also has his or her own special moves, including a bounce in the female boxers that mimics the real-life gravitational forces at play that are found in the female characters in Tecmo's Dead or Alive.In terms of gameplay, Sega has gone back to the gym and reworked the Championship mode. This time around, your fighting schedule is based around a calendar of matches, as opposed to being based solely on your prize winnings. As you win your way through the championship mode, new gym equipment will be available for you to use to build your skills. Some new training events have been added, including stair climbing and rope jumping.The most interesting part of the Championship mode includes the addition of a wrestling-style backstory that sees backstage shenanigans and feuds between the fighters. The new Team Battle mode lets you choose up to eight team members for an actual rumble with an opposing group of pugilists from the game. Several new camera angles have been added, which ups the total number to nine. Also, players can expect to suffer from computer-generated blurry vision after one too many blows to the head. As a result of these additions, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 should be a knockout (pun most certainly intended of course). --Todd Mowatt